When commercially cutting trees and dimensional lumber at a lumber mill there are the following four major considerations: the amount of wood lost to the cutting process; the amount of sawdust waste generated; the accuracy of the cuts made; and the longevity of the saw blade.
Circular saw blade designs balance the kerf width with blade stability/rigidity (blade thickness) and blade longevity to arrive at an optimal saw blade profile and thickness. The species of wood being cut, the number of saw blade teeth, the moisture content, the wood temperature, the type of cut (rip or cross), the power and speed of the saws, the saw blade deflection, the saw blade diameter, are all factors that affect a saw blade's performance in a given mill environment.
Prevailing saw blade design favors uniform thickness saw blades wherein the saw blades have one thickness across the entire body of the plate, with that thickness being less than the actual kerf width and having sufficient side clearance on both sides of the saw blade. This ensures the actual kerf cut by the saw tooth tips is wider than the plate, avoiding unnecessary friction between the wood and the plate body as the blade rotates. There must be minimal contact between any part of the blade and the wood (with the exception of the saw tooth tips which are doing the actual cutting) to ensure minimal friction. Friction heats the blade causing loss of plate stiffness and distortion. It also causes the blade to deviate slightly in its travel (wander or snaking) leaving boards with uneven thicknesses. Conventional saw blade design has the entire saw blade body (plate) at the maximum thickness that can be tolerated-that is the width of the saw tooth tips minus an acceptable side clearance.
A blade capable of reducing friction with adequate side clearance, enhanced sawdust ejection capability to reduce sawdust friction, improved lateral stability to minimize wander or snaking, and reduced kerf to minimize wood loss and saw power requirements, fulfills a long felt need in the lumber mill industry.